Ridge Rider
Jarring ride for Ramie Ray
acroaa tbe ridges and valleys
o f Doe Branch. Ray reach
electric meter*.
Counterfeit
Money Display
Next Week
Madison County residents
will have an opportunity to
test their skill at detecting
counterfeit currency next
week at Wachovia Bank's of
fice in Marshall. Frank
Moore, vice president and
Wachovia's city office ex
ecutive in Marshall, said that
an exhibit of real and
counterfeit money will be on
display all week.
The exhibit, obtained from
the Federal Reserve Bank of
Richmond, is one of the ac
tivities scheduled in connec
tion with Wachovia's 100th an
niversary this year.
"Counterfeiting is not as big
a problem today as it was in
the 1800s," said Moore. "Then,
the federal and state govern
ments and many banks
printed their own currency,
and the value would vary ac
cording to where you tried to
spend it. About all you needed
to be a counterfeiter was a
reliable press and a copy of
one of the bills."
The National Bank Act of
1863 provided for a currency
backed by government bonds.
The currency was broadly ac
cepted and, because of the
quality of the printing, was
difficult to counterfeit. These
developments gave the United
States a uniform national cur
rency for tbe first time only a
few years before tbe first
Wachovia Bank opened in
Winston in 1879.
Denominations of currency
in the exhibit range from $5 to
$100. The bills are arranged
side by side so that the viewer
may try his luck at deciding
which bill of each set is ge
nuine and which is counterfeit.
When a button corresponding
to the number of each note is
pressed, a light flashes. The
green light indicated the real
currency, and the red light in
QiciicQ counterfeit .
"Many people dont stop to
look at their money," Moore
said, "and although some
bogus bills are skillfully
reproduced, many counterfeit
notes are easy to spot" Moore
said that in counterfeit curren
cy the hairline and eyes usual
ly are slightly irregular and
that the screening around the
portrait is not well defined.
Once ?vary spring and tell
the ?- year-old meter reader
for Carolina Power * Light
cranks up his Jeep and heads
out on a 100-mile round trip
from Asheville to the
mountain backroads to
Madison County whore a
handful of CP4L customers
live.
The trip is part of his
meter-reading Job, but there's
nothing routine about riding
this circuit.
It requires a good sense of
direction and a sturdy set of
shock absorbers to reach the
42 CP&L customers scattered
in generally remote locations
along the French Broad
River.
These people are "good,
hard working folks," the
Buncombe County native
said, and they help make the
trip enjoyable.
Sometimes he stops to chat
with a customer on the porch
a few minutes. Other times he
just has the chance to wave at
one plowing his Held in the
distance.
Since he is the only personal
contact many of these
customers have with CPiL,
Ray said he tries to use his
visits to find out how they are
getting along and if they have
any problems with their
electric service.
He said he looks forward to
the trips, "but once a month
might be a different story "
The driving distance and
time required to read these
tew meters make it im
practical on a normal mon
thly basis, he said. An
average day on his other
routes means reading 190 to
300 meters.
He said it's fairly easy to
find most of the houses except
those toward the end of the
line. "Only going every six
months, I almost forget where
some of the customers live,"
he said.
It's an all day trip in a *
wheel drive Jeep, lurching on
S-curves, sloshing through
creeks, scraping by trees and
laurel bushes, and banging
the bottom of the vehicle on
rocks and ruts most people
wouldn't call roads.
Along with sore knees and
elbows from being Jostled like
gravel in a can, Ray said he
gets a view of a beautiful,
solitary countryside few
people ever see.
The scene is quiet and
unhurried, the woodland
cleared in places into steep
rocky pastures and farmland
neatly furrowed, he said.
From the narrow dirt roads
the French Broad River is
frequently visible, flowing
silently in the valley below.
This semi-annual meter
reader route is unique on the
CP&L system, as far as
Mountain Docturin'
POLIO ON THE
RISE
The number of new cases of
polio in the United States in
creased slightly in 1978 and
1977. This number is admitted
ly very small, but nonetheless
parents of young children
should never forget that the
"child crippler" is still with us
and the only reason it is fairly
rare in the United States is
that between 1956 and 1909
massive immunization cam
paigns were launched which
nearly eradicated the disease.
However, polio is by no means
"wiped out" and in very re
cent years an alarming
number of children are not
receiving the protection of im
munization which may ex
plain the slight increase in the
number of polio cases.
Of course, polio is not the on
ly serious disease which can
be prevented through proper
immunization. Another is
measles which, if severe
enough, can cause permanent
hearing loss and even mental
retardation. It is a well-known
fact that measles during early
pregnancy can cause serious
birth defects. Another exam
SEE US FOR
ROYSTER FERTILIZER
PIONEER SEED CORN
AND OTHER FARM
SUPPLIES
CHECK OUR PRICES
BRUSH CREEK GULF
DEAN RIGSBY, OWNER
Especially For
Spring
Burns and Lazy Boy
Chain Drive Tillers
k LAWN MOWERS
CEMENT-PLYWOOD-BLACKBOARD
BARB WIRE-ROLL ROOFING
GARDEN SEED
BUSH CUTTER
TORO BACKPACK
MOWERS
ALL TYPES OF BACK STRAP AND TANK
SPRAYERS IN ALL SIZES
pie, tetanus or "lock jaw" is
generally fatal in very young
infants and may be contracted
through simply stepping on a
rusty nail. Tetanus, too, is ef
fectively prevented through
immunization. Whooping
cough and mumps are also
preventable.
If you or your friends have
children between 2 months
and 17 years who have not
received vaccinations ap
propriate to their age, we ask
that you call any one of our
three clinics or the Madison
County Health Department
immediately for information
about free childhood im
munizations. Next week may
be too late, so don't put this
off.
School Menus
For the week of May 21
BREAKFAST
Monday, May 21: pancakes
w-syrup, juice, milk.
Tneaday, May 22: doughnut,
juice, milk.
Wednesday, May 23: cereal,
juice, milk.
Thursday, May 24: cin
namon toak, sliced peaches,
milk.
Friday, May 25: dunkin
sticks, juice, milk.
LUNCH
Moaday, May 21: pizza,
tossed salad, corn, jellied ap
plesauce, milk.
Tneaday, May 22: turkey on
bun w-cheese, lettuce and
tomato, potato rounds, cookie,
milk.
Wednesday, May 2S: meat
loaf, creamed potatoes, green
beans, sliced peaches, rolls,
milk
Thursday, May M: fried
chicken, browned white
potatoes, carrot and celery
sticks, chocolate pudding,
rolls and milk.
Friday, May 25: hamburger
on bun, lettoce-tomato-onions
pickles, french fries, apple,
milk.
Babe Ruth Team
To Play Saturday
The Mars Hill Senior Babe
Ruth baaeball team will play
East AsheviDe Senior team
this Saturday at 2 p.m. on the
college diamond.
The public is invited to at
tend the' game and see the
boys in action.
Meter Reader Takes
?' ?P|Pp'?BrV
To Mountain Backroads
Ashevilie district manager
Tom Dabooy know*. He ex
plained thai the Do* Branch
customers check their own
electric metes each month,
mark the reeding on a special
card provided by CP4L, and
mail it in to the district office.
If CPfcL does not receive
the card, Dabney said, the
customer's kilowatt-hour
usage is estimated based on
billing adjustments ai^msde
after the semi-annual visits.
On an annual basis the
customer* pay the same aa if
their meters were read each
month, he said CPAL has
been doing it this way since
these areas of Doe Branch
first received electric service
in the 1960s and Ms.
Man Sentenced In Theft
A North Carolina truck
driver began serving 190 days
in Jail Thursday for Par
ticipating in the theft of 345
microwave ovena from his
tractor-trailer rig in Newport.
U.S. District Court Judge
C.G. Neese ordered the term
last week for John Gahagan II
of Marshall, after Gahagan
admitted as part of a plea
bargain that he was a willing
accomplice in the interstate
theft.
The microwave ovens were
stolen in December 1977 and
later turned up as Christmas
presents in the homes of
several prominent officials
and businessmen in Newport
and surrounding Cocke
County.
Gahagan was driving the
truck loaded with the Hot
point microwave ovens from
Columbia, Md., to Little
Rock, Ark., when, he said,
friends in Newport convinced
him to let them steal the
ovens.
A federal grand jury in
Chatanooga last month
returned indictments against
10 persons, seven of them
from Newport area, following
an 18-month investigation by
the FBI and the U.S. at
torney's office into the theft.
The indictments were
returned after another
Newport man, Rusty Frazier,
pleaded guilty last month in
U.S. District Court in
Knoxville to participating in
Gospel Sing
Ed Ball will host a benefit
gospel sing at Mountain
Heritage High School one mile
west of Burnsville this Sunday
at 2 p.m.
A freewill offering will be
taken for J.C. Watts of Prices
Creek.
Groups taking part include
Happy Hearts, Asheville;
Glory Dawn, Mars Hill;
Seekers, Seneca, S.C.; and
Happy Rhythm Quartet (Peak
family) of Weaverville.
Madison Births
To Mr. and Mrs. Lattie C.
Fender of Marshall, a
daughter, May 9, in Memorial
Mission Hospital.
To Mr. and Mrs. Donnie E.
Buckner of Marshall, a
daughter, May 10, in
Memorial Mission Hospital.
To Mr. and Mrs. Johnny
Norton, Hot Springs, a son,
May 12, in Memorial Mission
Hospital.
the theft.
Officials said most of the
stolen ovens have been
recovered.
Sen. Morgan
To Speak
At Bond Rally
Sen. Robert Morgan will be
guest speaker at a school bond
rally dinner at Madison High
School cafeteria on May 26.
The dinner will begin at 7 p.m.
Plates will be $25 each.
Tickets and further infor
mation can be secured by call
ing James T. Ledford at
689-3731.
"This will be a non-political
meeting," Ledford stated.
Florida Man
In Jail Here
For Larceny
Roger Dale Allison, 20, of
Sebran, Fla., is in the Madison
County Jail charged with
larceny of a 1974 Mercury
owned by Ben Justice, 72, of
Route 1, Hot Springs.
Florida officers made the
arrest on Wednesday of last
week and Allison was brought
to the local jail last Saturday.
Revival Service
Revival services will begin
this Sunday night at the
Alexander Baptist Church at
7:30. The Rev. Harold Cable
will be the visiting preacher.
The Rev. George Slagle,
pastor, extends an invitation
to everyone to attend the
services.
Hospital News
Mrs. Clyde M. Roberts
returned to her home in Mar
shall last week from Memorial
Mission Hospital where die
has been a patient for several
weeks recuperating from in
juries received in a car acci
dent.
Mrs. Mae Landers of Mar
shall expects to return to her
hone May 25 from a rest home
in Asheville. She underwent
major surgery at St Joseph's
Hospital. She writes that she is
looking forward to seeing her
friends when she returns
home
TRUCKS
79 CHEV. >/* TON 6 cyl., SD, low mileage
$4995
77 CHEV. TON SILVERADO Loaded
with all the extras $4995
75 DODGE RAMCHARGER V8t SD, PB,
PS, 4x4 $4195
76 FORD VAN V8, auto., air, pS, PB
PB $3995
74 FORD VAN 6 cyl. auto $2695
64 CHEV 1 TON 6 cyl., 4 speed cattle
bed $795
76 FORD Vi TON 4x4 PS, 4 speed
$4495
CARS
76 NOVA 8 cyl., SD, PS, extra clean
$3695
77 T-BIRD V8, auto. PS, PB . . . $5395
75 NOVA 2 door, V8, auto. PS . . $2495
73 COUGAR V8, auto., PS, PB . $1795
72 FORD LTD V8, auto., PS, PB air
$995
74 MONTE CARLO V8, auto., air, PS,
PB $2795
74 DODGE DART Auto., air, PS, PB._
CODY Ml
RONNIE RAY makes one of his
six-month checks of an electric _
meter along the Doe Branch route j
in Madison County backcountry.
Parker Takes C/C Helm
Members of the Greater
Haywood Chamber of
Commerce
voted their unanimous ap
proval to appointment of
William R. Parker, a former
Asheville businessman, as the
chamber's executive vice
president.
Parker was presented to the
chamber by member Linda
Reck, head of the search
committee assigned to find
the successor to current Vice
President Bill Crowder.
Crowder plans to retire in
Newport, Tenn., and Parker
Madison Sports
By JOHN SCHAENMAN
The boy's track team finish
ed their 1979 season at the
Mountain Athletic Conference
meet Monday. During the
meet Madison scored their
first point ever in a conference
meet. Mike Chapman placed
fifth in the 880 dash with a
school record of 2:10. Other
outstanding performances in
cluded Robert Murray's winn
ing his beat in the 180 low
hurdles and competing in the
semifinals. The 880 relay team
bettered their time with a
1:43.3, the 440 relay team ran
a 49.8, and the mile relay team
set a school record with a
3:56.5.
Lettermen this year were
Dewayne Buckner, Billy Can
trell, Mike Chapman, Marie
Fox, Steve Garrison, Roger
Meadows, Eric Merrill, Steve
Rector, John Schaenman,
Terry Webb, Gerry Kraus,
Tommy Ray, Julian Roberts.
In order to letter a member
had to come in first, second or
third in a meet with at least
five teams; come in first, se
cond or third in two or more
meets; come in first, second
or third in one meet and two
relays; or be on a relay team
that came in first, second or
third in at least three meets.
will assume the vice
president's duties May 29.
The board welcomed
Parker with the observation
by President Dan Green that
"Haywood County is moving
into a period of rapid change,
growth and development. We
feel Bill Parker is a man who
BILL PARKER
will provide responsive and
creative leadership to assure
that the chamber of com
merce will be a vital force for
the good of all Haywood
County."
A Madison County native,
Parker has most recently
been working in the AsheviHe
area where he owned and
operated the Carolina
Importers of Candler.
Parker brings to Haywood
County experience as a
volunteer leader with the
Asheville Chamber of
Commerce, where he has
received a lifetime mem
bership for his record of
accomplishment. He has also
served on the board of
directors of the Asheville
Jaycees and is listed in Who's
Who in North Carolina.
"I'm glad to be aboard, and
I'm real excited about getting
started," Parker told the
chamber, "I consider (the
position) a great challenge,
and it's a challenge I'm
looking forward to very
much."
Your Pharmacist
Bill Powell
Says
Community Medical Center Pharmacy.
Mara Hill. NC Td 689-2591
What to do
if poisoned
If your child or a mem
ber of your family is ever
faced with a poisoning
emergency, follow these
three first-aid steps:
1) Dilute the poison (dnnk
water or milk); 2) Decide
whether vomiting should
be induced (have syrup of
ipecac handy for vom
iting, but aon't induce
vomiting if person is un
conscious or has swal
lowed a corrosive sub
stance); 3) Call a doctor, or
get victim to nearest hos
pital.
Meanwhile, always
keep medicines out of
child's reach and never
take (or give) medicines in
the dark. Write for our
Poison Antidote Chart.
It's free, c/o this phar
macy, Clipping Service.
Bo* 5051, Raleigh, Nd
'"'607.
($Juf faxM
Hill Powell. Your Pharmacist.
Now earn interest
on all the money
you have in the bank 1
If you ordinarily maintain a
large balance in your personal
checking account each month,
you can earn interest on that
money with Wachovia's new
INTEREST /CHECKING?"
Here's How
INTEREST/CHECKING Works
If Your Your Monthly
Average Monthly Interest Earnings
Balance Is Will Be
$2500 $10.29
$2000 $8.23
$1500 $6.17
$1000 $4.11
$500 $2.05
Based on a 30-day month.
tin addition, there are no monthly
service charges with INTEREST /
CHECKING if you maintain a bal
ance of at least $ 1000. Should your
balance fall below $ 1000, there will be
amonthly charge of $2. 00 plus 15c per
check/item paid. Regardless of your
balance, all the money you have in the
bank will be earning interest!
Is INTEREST/CHECKING FOR YOU? Your
Personal Banker can help you decide. So stop
^ by any Wachovia office and we'll be
^ glad to tell you more
Wachovia
Bank&Trust
1
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